UpFront with NGS

21 October 2016

Gen-Fed Alumni Association Announces 2017 Lackey Scholarship

Gen-Fed Alumni Association Announces 2017 Lackey Scholarship

From our friends at Gen-Fed …

So you've been wanting to attend one of the major institutes but the cost of it is a problem? Here's a great opportunity. ...

"Gen-Fed Alumni Association Announces 2017 Lackey Scholarship
Press Release, October 18, 2016

The Richard S. Lackey Scholarship is awarded annually to an experienced researcher active in a paid or volunteer position which directly benefits the genealogical community. This year the scholarship will award $600, which covers full tuition for the Genealogical Institute on Federal Records (Gen-Fed), and partly defrays hotel and/or meal cost. The Gen-Fed Alumni Association will also provide meal coverage at the Gen-Fed Alumni Banquet on Friday night, July 14, 2017, where a check for the amount less tuition will be presented to the recipient.

For more information about the Institute, visit www.gen-fed.org. The application can be downloaded from the Scholarships page.

All applications and additional attachments must be submitted in PDF format, combined in one file. The completed application form and attachments should be emailed to Angela McGhie at mcghiefamilyhistory@gmail.com with “Lackey Scholarship 2017” in the subject line. The PDF file should include your last name and first initial, such as “McGhieA Lackey Scholarship 2017 Application.”

A complete application must be received by midnight 15 December 2016. The winner will be notified by 15 February 2017. The scholarship winner will automatically be accepted for the Genealogical Institute on Federal Records to be held at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., from July 10-14, 2017."

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NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog. Any opinions expressed by guest authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of NGS.

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20 October 2016

Many Reasons to Write a Family History

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Writing#/media/File:Stipula_fountain_pen.jpg
[used under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-SA 3.0)]

Many Reasons to Write a Family History

Last year the New York Public Library (NYPL) posted 20 Reasons Why You Should Write your Family History and then the Association of Personal Historians (APH) picked up the challenge and did a 20 post series where an APH member expounded on each of the 20 important motivations listed in the NYPL article.

FamilyTree.com also responded with Why You Should Write Your Family History and mentioned “It can be therapeutic” …

Writing about family history that involves a loved one who has since passed away can help you get through your grieving process. It can also help you to gain insights on deeper meanings that were involved in a particular family story.

Though I didn’t research into my mom (Margaret Joyce (Fountain) Acey – often mentioned in my posts) until many years after she died, I still found it incredibly therapeutic to see my mother as the person she was and just not what a child remembered of her. It gave me a way to honor her many accomplishments (many unknown to me until I did my research) and more importantly, it gave me a way to share her in colorized 3-D with the grandchildren later born who never got to meet her.

I think many of us can agree on the whys of writing a family history and the referenced list might just have given us the added inspiration we need to decide to write what has been researched.

Many of us though stumble with actually getting started in the process.

Remember that anything you do, writing a story, posting a photo with a caption or narrative, upload a recording of any interview, about your family history is a means of sharing. A 1000-page tome that might never be finished does NOT have to be the objective. Kimberly Powell, Genealogy Expert, About.com, has a great post, 10 steps to Writing Your Family History, which provides some simple practical advice to assist you in making your “idea” of writing a family history a reality.

I emphasize this as Writing Your Personal History (via Family History Quick Start) shares a very important element of all of this … many of us start and how many finish??!!

For some of us, sitting down and finishing a comprehensive personal history can be quite difficult. Notice that I said finish and not begin because it seems like we’re all very good at beginning things, but it’s the finishing that makes the difference.

Let’s all of us make a difference and produce in whatever format suits, a family history!

What additional reasons why people “should” write family histories would you suggest?

What first step do you consider most critical to getting beyond just saying “it’s time to write the family history?”

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NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog. Any opinions expressed by guest authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of NGS.

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Think your friends, colleagues, or fellow genealogy researchers would find this blog post interesting? If so, please let them know that anyone can read past UpFront with NGS posts or subscribe!

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Suggestions for topics for future UpFront with NGS posts are always welcome. Please send any suggested topics to UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com

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Unless indicated otherwise or clearly an NGS Public Relations piece, Upfront with NGS posts are written by Diane L Richard, editor, Upfront with NGS.

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19 October 2016

Open the door to your early New England ancestry for FREE (through 25 October)

Open the door to your early New England ancestry for FREE (through 25 October)

From our friends at American Ancestors …

October 18, 2016—Boston, Massachusetts—From October 18 to October 25, New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) is offering FREE access to essential resources for early New England family history research. With the creation of a free account at it's award-winning website, AmericanAncestors.org, family historians can access the most authoritative scholarship on early settlers in America.

During a special free access week, family historians can search nearly 300,000 records across a unique sets of databases that are at the forefront of early American genealogical research: The Great Migration Study Project, the Early New England Families Study Project, and Torrey’s New England Marriages to 1700. In addition to these essential databases, family historians will also benefit from how-to guides and webinars from staff experts at NEHGS that provide helpful research tips and techniques, essential resources, and contextual information to advance genealogical research.

Between 1620 and 1640 about 20,000 men, women, and children crossed the Atlantic to settle New England. The Great Migration Study Project, under the scholarly direction of Robert Charles Anderson, provides concise, trusted genealogical and biographical sketches of these early immigrants to America. In the nine searchable databases of the Great Migration Study Project, researchers can pore over some 100,000 records that expertly narrate the lives of early immigrants to New England.
Following the work of the Great Migration, the Early New England Families Study Project provides fully searchable accounts of New England Families from 1641 to 1700 focusing on individuals who emigrated in 1641 or later, with sketches grouped by year of marriage. Lead Genealogist Alicia Crane Williams uses Clarence Almon Torrey’s bibliographic index of early New England marriages (and its recent successors) as a guide to compiling authoritative and fully documented sketches of individuals and families in New England in the period immediately following the Great Migration.

The foundation of the Early New England Families Study Project is Torrey’s New England Marriages to 1700. This famous work by Clarence Almon Torrey, owned by NEHGS, is an indispensable resource for any family historian with New England ancestors. The twelve-volume manuscript, presented as an every-name searchable database, enumerates more than 99% of all pre-1700 marriages for New Englanders, including those who married in Europe prior to migrating. In total, vital information on more than 37,000 couples is comprehensively cited in this key index.

Learn more at AmericanAncestors.org/early-new-england

Which database are you most looking forward to exploring?

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NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog. Any opinions expressed by guest authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of NGS.

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Think your friends, colleagues, or fellow genealogy researchers would find this blog post interesting? If so, please let them know that anyone can read past UpFront with NGS posts or subscribe!

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Suggestions for topics for future UpFront with NGS posts are always welcome. Please send any suggested topics to UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com

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Unless indicated otherwise or clearly an NGS Public Relations piece, Upfront with NGS posts are written by Diane L Richard, editor, Upfront with NGS.

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18 October 2016

Distinguished Service -- What One Person Can Do to Benefit Our Genealogical Community ...

Distinguished Service -- What One Person Can Do to Benefit Our Genealogical Community ...

Family History Month is all about celebrating Family History …

One aspect of that is the dedication of many many tireless volunteers, who, often for decades have enriched our community by sharing their expertise and time to the benefit of us all.

Pat Rand, FGS Project Coordinator - U.S.-Mexican War Soldier Database, mailto:Projects@FGS.org reminded me of one such person … Nancy Heydt, formerly from NJ and now a member of The Villages Genealogical Society received an award in 2013 honoring her dedication to genealogy and genealogists. Here’s the announcement made at the time …

... It is said that we stand on the shoulders of giants, that we do not walk this earth alone. Nowhere is that more applicable than in historical and genealogical research. So it’s with that thought in mind that the Monmouth County Genealogy Society has established the Barbara Carver Smith Distinguished Service Award. The award was named for one of our founding members who passed away in 2004. Barbara Carver Smith was a certified genealogist (CG) and taught at adult schools and community colleges, and also organized genealogical workshops in the 1970’s. She was a pioneer in the Monmouth County genealogical community.

The award “is bestowed upon an individual or organization which has, through exceptional efforts, dedication and scholarly research, advanced the knowledge of, access to and greater understanding of Monmouth County genealogy and family history, within this particular community and the public at large.”

Our inaugural recipient is Nancy Heydt. She will be recognized at Monmouth County Archives Day on October 12, 2013. Nancy was a founding member of the Monmouth County Genealogy Club, the forerunner of the Monmouth County Genealogy Society. She was its first president, chaired several committees and co-served as President for a second time. She wrote the Beekman Index, Updated, and was a frequent submitter to The Monmouth Connection, including many of the “Let’s Visit” columns. She has also had articles published in national genealogy magazines.

The Speakers Bureau of MCGS was started in 1989 when Nancy spoke at the LDS workshop on “Writing Your Own Life Story”. In 1983, before the organization of MCGS, Nancy started teaching classes in beginning genealogy during lunchtime at her place of work. She also taught in the Neptune Adult School and in workshops given by the Church of Latter Day Saints in Toms River. It was Nancy’s idea to start a Memoirs Group within MCGS, and she was instrumental in establishing the highly successful essay contest for 5th and 6th graders during Family History Month.

In 1990 it was Nancy Heydt who created the concept of October as Family History Month, which in the beginning was only celebrated in Monmouth County. She then had it listed in Chase’s Book of Annual Events, and soon Governor Florio recognized it at the state level. By 2001, Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) passed legislation that officially commemorated October as Family History Month, and the United States Senate made it a national celebration in 2002. Nancy was then recognized by the Federation of Genealogy Societies with their Distinguished Service Award for fostering this important designation. She was also awarded a Certificate of Excellence by the League of Historical Societies of New Jersey.

It all begins with a spark of genius and overwhelming dedication. And so we stand on the shoulders of giants. Congratulations Nancy.

Share which individual you think deserves a “distinguished” serve award for genealogy contributions?

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NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog. Any opinions expressed by guest authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of NGS.

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Think your friends, colleagues, or fellow genealogy researchers would find this blog post interesting? If so, please let them know that anyone can read past UpFront with NGS posts or subscribe!

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Suggestions for topics for future UpFront with NGS posts are always welcome. Please send any suggested topics to UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com

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Unless indicated otherwise or clearly an NGS Public Relations piece, Upfront with NGS posts are written by Diane L Richard, editor, Upfront with NGS.

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17 October 2016

Delaware Public Archives Conference featuring Dr. Thomas W. Jones -- Save the Date (4 March 2017)

Delaware Public Archives Conference featuring Dr. Thomas W. Jones -- Save the Date (4 March 2017)

Friends of the Delaware Public Archives share this great opportunity to hear Dr. Thomas W. Jones speak… [editor’s note: hyperlinks not in original]

On Saturday, 4 March 2017 the Friends of the Delaware Public Archives are offering a free one-day conference “Genealogy: Beyond Bare Bones building your Skills” to be held at the Delaware Public Archives in Dover. The workshop will feature Dr. Thomas W. Jones PhD, CG, FASG, FUG, and FNGS who has edited the National Genealogical Society Quarterly since 2002. He is the author of Mastering Genealogical Proof a popular genealogy textbook! Tom has been the recipient of many genealogical awards including the Association of Professional Genealogists 2011 Professional Achievement Award and its 2004 Grahame T. Smallwood Jr. Award of Merit. He is retired from a thirty-year career in higher education and professor emeritus at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Jones works full time as a genealogical researcher, writer, editor, and educator. He coordinates courses at the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh, the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, and Samford University’s Institute on Genealogy and Historical Research. Tom is most interested in solving “brick wall” genealogical problems. He writes and speaks frequently on genealogical methods with broad application across geographical areas, time periods and levels of expertise.

The March event will feature 4 sessions, one hour long; 2 in the morning followed by a lunch break on your own, with 2 in the afternoon. The topics include:

· "Can a Complex Research Problem be Solved Solely Online?"

· "Planning Efficient and Effective Research: A Case Study"

· "Five Ways to Prove Who Your Ancestor Was (Some Reliable and Others Not Reliable)"

· "Inferential Genealogy: Deducing Ancestors' Identities Indirectly"

Details will follow in January! Questions? nancyml@comcast.net

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NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog. Any opinions expressed by guest authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of NGS.

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Think your friends, colleagues, or fellow genealogy researchers would find this blog post interesting? If so, please let them know that anyone can read past UpFront with NGS posts or subscribe!

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Suggestions for topics for future UpFront with NGS posts are always welcome. Please send any suggested topics to UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com

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Unless indicated otherwise or clearly an NGS Public Relations piece, Upfront with NGS posts are written by Diane L Richard, editor, Upfront with NGS.

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14 October 2016

Never Too Many Digitized Maps!

Never Too Many Digitized Maps!

As much as we love city directories (yesterday’s blog post), we really really love maps. Part of that is that city directories are a more recent type of publication where maps have been created throughout time.

The Library of Congress understands our obsession with maps so much that there is currently an exhibition, Mapping a Growing Nation From Independence to Statehood which includes an online exhibition component.

If this wasn’t sufficient to wet our appetite for maps, the current edition of the LOC Magazine (Vol 5 No 5 Sept-Oct 2016) is all about maps! Articles include Mapping the New World, Mapping the Imaginary, and Making of the Modern Map. As always, it’s a visually stunning and extremely informative edition.

Best of all, you can access the online exhibition and the LOC Magazine for FREE.

Where else might we find online collections or materials about maps?

Editor’s Note: Past Upfront with NGS blog posts on maps can be found here.

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NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog. Any opinions expressed by guest authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of NGS.

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Think your friends, colleagues, or fellow genealogy researchers would find this blog post interesting? If so, please let them know that anyone can read past UpFront with NGS posts or subscribe!

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Suggestions for topics for future UpFront with NGS posts are always welcome. Please send any suggested topics to UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com

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Unless indicated otherwise or clearly an NGS Public Relations piece, Upfront with NGS posts are written by Diane L Richard, editor, Upfront with NGS.

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13 October 2016

NYPL Digitizes New York City Directories + Where We Can Find Directories For Other Locales

NYPL Digitizes New York City Directories + Where We Can Find Directories For Other Locales

We love city directories. They can tell us so much about a family – where they lived, their occupation, and sometimes when a person died. The FamilySearch wiki piece, City Directories, shares even more reasons why you might want to consult city directories, assuming you are not already doing so.

The New York Public Library shares …

New York Public Library is digitizing its collection of New York City Directories, 1786 through 1922/3, serving them free through the NYPL Digital Collections portal. The first batch—1849/50 through 1923—have already been scanned, and the 1786–1848/9 directories are right now being scanned …

If you are seeking city directories for where your ancestors lived, besides local resources (such as DigitalNC, North Carolina City Directories, Historic Pittsburgh City Directories, Seattle City Directories, and Indianapolis City Directory Collection), two places that I check are Internet Archive and HathiTrust, both of which have massive city directory collections. Additionally, the Online Historical Directories Website provides links to directories online for Canada, Ireland, Thailand, United Kingdom, and the United States. You will also find city directory collections at Ancestry.com ($) and Fold3 ($). Google Books also has a large collection of directories where it’s easiest to just search it using city directory + locale of interest.

Where else might we find online collections of historic city directories?

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NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog. Any opinions expressed by guest authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of NGS.

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Think your friends, colleagues, or fellow genealogy researchers would find this blog post interesting? If so, please let them know that anyone can read past UpFront with NGS posts or subscribe!

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Suggestions for topics for future UpFront with NGS posts are always welcome. Please send any suggested topics to UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com

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Unless indicated otherwise or clearly an NGS Public Relations piece, Upfront with NGS posts are written by Diane L Richard, editor, Upfront with NGS.

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Want to learn more about interacting with the blog, please read Hyperlinks, Subscribing and Comments -- How to Interact with Upfront with NGS Blog posts!

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